FEATURE : ELECTRICITY 4.0

With years of experience in the tech industry , Nirupa Chander , Senior Vice President , Secure

Power & Data Centers , International Operations , Schneider Electric , shares insights into her career progression from her early days as an engineer to her current role leading a global team of over 700 individuals . She also discusses the challenges and opportunities she has encountered and her vision for the future .

I ’ m an engineer , first and foremost . I ’ ve worked for over 20 years in the electrical industry .

I graduated from Gujarat University with an Engineering degree in Electronics and Communications , then worked in India for five years , Australia for 10 , and five in Singapore before moving to the Middle East . And I have now been in Dubai for two-and-a-half years .

I ’ ve worked across a lot of the geographies that I will be covering now leading Schneider Electric ’ s Secure Power International Region . This will also include South America , and so I ’ m looking forward to this new role .

In your new leadership role , what are you excited about achieving with an international team of over 700 people ?

Coming from an energy background , I find it fascinating how discussions about data centres now inevitably involve energy due to the increasing digitalisation and the resulting demand .

My journey into data centres began with electrical distribution infrastructure , particularly connecting hyperscale data centres in Asia Pacific , and now in the Middle East and Africa .

As large-scale data centres are on the rise in these regions , my experience in the energy sector is proving valuable , especially in discussions around energy efficiency and sustainability .

Despite my primary focus on energy , I am eager to learn and contribute more for the enterprise IT ecosystem , partners and alliances , particularly with the growing importance of AI and its transformative potential .

My early career experiences as a controls and automation engineer linked me to IT infrastructure and hardware , showing me how energy and data are increasingly intertwined . Working on microgrids in Australia highlighted the complexity of balancing the grid with energy storage technology and renewables – insights now applicable to creating sustainable data centres .

It is exciting to see the strong coupling between data and energy , and I am excited about applying my knowledge and skills to this evolving field , especially with the anticipated growth in AI and its potential impact on the industry .

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